Steve Swift
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in MusicThe New Magnum Album Tells Us The Monster Roars
Magnum have nothing to prove. Songwriter and guitarist Tony Clarkin with vocalist Bob Catley will have been at it for 50 years this year—with a five year gap in the middle, but impressive. They’ve had the hard-to-musically-place years, the successful years and the knowing what they’re good at years. The Early Years Those first Magnum […] More
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in Music
It’s Taken 40 Years For Michael James Pollard’s Two One One
Recently I spoke to Michael James Pollard about being discovered for his music 40 years on. It’s worth a look, Michael’s fun to read. As a precis, Michael received a call out of the blue one day from someone who had found a cassette in a charity shop. It had Michael James Pollard on it, […] More
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in Music
A Triumph: Arena Pleasers Open the Vaults
Triumph are often forgotten in Rock, aren’t they? There are those other Canadian rockers, what are they called, Tush? Thrush? Anyway, they’re so much more popular than those Triumph boys. Aren’t they? Now I love Rush as well and there has to be space for two ’70s and ’80s Canadian successes. Because Triumph were a […] More
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in Music
David Gedge Talks About The Wedding Present’s 24 Songs
24 Songs it is, then; ‘I think it would put a lot of bands off, really.’ David Gedge is right. The precision. The different writing feel. The oddness. Some bands wouldn’t take a project like 24 Songs on. But some bands aren’t The Wedding Present. And some bands are not led by David Gedge, who […] More
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in Music
Rush Album Moving Pictures Gets Some More Pictures
Alternate Moving Pictures — What Moving Pictures? It’s a seminal Rush album. You know Rush, the marvellously long-lasted band who moved from Prog to ’80s almost and back to Prog with a little bit of Pop. Moving Pictures was their first number 1 in their homeland of Canada. It went to number 3 in the […] More
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in Music
Mensa Deathsquad Run Towards the Light
Sorry, I don’t smoke. When he asks you if you’ve got a light, that’s not what he means. The he is Brandon Phillips. The band is Mensa Deathsquad. This single is “Light,” but it isn’t. It’s called Electronic Darkwave, but it isn’t that either. So What Is It? There’s that bubbly, b-boy synth bass backing […] More
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in Music
The Ritualists Make Being Baroque And Bleeding Sound Good
We need to be Baroque & Bleeding. We need the Ritualists. We’re just not sure. We don’t feel strong. We feel our own mortality. Don’t we, at the moment? Not all of us, but a lot. Our artistic life is so important, so vital to our lives and music seems central to that, as Pitchfork […] More
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in Music, Interviews
Michael James Pollard: Discovered After 40 Years
Michael James Pollard takes my photos. Well, he used to when I was an actor. I thought I might have some new photos of my new face (long story) done recently and he was the only photographer in mind. And he told me an extraordinary story. A story of being discovered. 40 years late. “I’ve […] More
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in Music
Tom Morello: The Atlas Underground Flood
You have to admire Tom Morello. Well, it’s not a law or anything, but since Rage Against the Machine ended, this singular guitarist has not stunted himself in musical exploration. There’s the Classic Rock and Indie meld of Audioslave, his fabulous rap collaboration with Boots Riley, Street Sweeper Social Club and Rap Rock conflagration Prophets […] More
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in Interviews
We Are Scientists Tell Us How They Got Huffy
We Are Scientists have just released their best album. Well, I think so anyway. It’s called Huffy and you like their danceable style, you’ll surely be in your element. So I asked Keith Murray, the vocaliser and guitarist of WAS how delighted he was. He laughs. ‘It’s pretty easy for us to delight ourselves,’ he accepts. […] More
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in Music
The Darkness’ Motorheart Goes Through the Gears
There’s a difference between having fun and making comedy. The Darkness are doing the former but not the latter. That needs to be mentioned because so many people discount them as a laugh. Background Mind you, Lowestoft’s finest haven’t done themselves any favours. Huge success with the debut, Permission To Land, huge arrogance in the […] More
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in Music
Gov’t Mule Make Light Work Of A Heavy Load
This has an inevitability about it. When you’re a great exponent of Southern Rock with a dash of Funk on the side, the Blues are never far away and Gov’t Mule have visited it in Heavy Load Blues. With real class. Band mainman Warren Hayes told the Gov’t Mule website, ‘For me, personally, it’s kind […] More
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